


Co-Adaptation

by qvbit



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mildly Dubious Consent, One Shot, Porn With Plot, Post-Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Post-Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Ralph (Detroit: Become Human) Loves Flowers, Robot Kink, Robot Sex, Robot/Human Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:20:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26209330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qvbit/pseuds/qvbit
Summary: Before the revolution, the nature of your job allowed you to work undercover helping to free androids. Now, post-revolution, it's become your official role title. Finding and freeing them is part of your job description, volunteering to take care of them the fact is most definitely not, but when you find a scarred android named Ralph, unaware that the revolution has happened, sheltering in a boarded up squat-house, you can't help but take pity on him.
Relationships: Ralph (Detroit: Become Human) & Original Female Character(s), Ralph (Detroit: Become Human) & Reader, Ralph (Detroit: Become Human)/Original Female Character(s), Ralph (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader, Ralph (Detroit: Become Human)/You
Comments: 2
Kudos: 102





	Co-Adaptation

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I love all the WR600s I never thought I'd be hot for Ralph, but here we are I guess. I tried to keep this one short and sweet, unlike my other works. Enjoy y'all <3

It had been a year since the liberation. Integration of androids into society was still a bit rocky as was to be expected, with so many people still prejudiced against them.

Still, you saw progress being made. Slowly. You’d been among the few humans that had helped with their liberation efforts before Markus’ revolution. You’d been working for an architects firm, which gave you an advantageous position - you were often sent out to look at abandoned properties for purchase, so they could be knocked down and your company could build over them. It wasn’t the most humanitarian job in the world, and the properties were hardly ever actually abandoned, but it meant that if there were any androids sheltering there, you could get to them before the police found them, and send them to Jericho where they’d be safe.

Because of this you’d built a good relationship with the resistance. After the liberation, the company you worked for wanted to be on the good side of history. They’d given you a special role after you’d revealed your pre-revolution actions to them - full time android recovery, now with official connections to Jericho's rehabilitation network, rather than your pre-revolution clandestine ones. There were still androids out there who hadn’t known about the revolution, or that had never found help and were living in squalor. You, and Jericho's network, took them in and helped them get on their feet. It wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it. You’d taken androids in who had recovered and been ready to take on the world. Some had joined you in your rehabilitation efforts, some had entered into high paid jobs and bought beautiful homes for themselves. Some even had families now. 

Today you were asked to go and see about an abandoned house with suspected squatters, some of them androids. Your work had had their eye on the block of land for a while now with plans for development. You took a coworker, Andy, with you, just to be safe. The two of you entered the wire gate. Andy peered through the boarded up window. 

“Hey, someone’s home. There’s movement in there.” He said. You nodded and approached the front door. You knocked. There was a scramble inside but no answer. You knocked again. “Hello?”

Nothing. You cautiously opened the door. “We’re not police. We aren’t here to arrest you-“ before you could react you were being shoved up against the wall. When you oriented yourself, you saw the aggressor was an android. It was unmistakable. He had a huge gash down the side of his face, and the eye on that side was severely damaged, colored dark blue, mechanical. 

“Human!” He snarled. “Get out, or Ralph will hurt you! He’ll hurt you before you hurt him!”

Before he could say anything else Andy had grabbed him. The android screamed. He looked like a terrified animal, and his LED flashed red frantically. 

“Andy! Let him go, he’s freaking out!”

“He had you up against the wall! What did you expect me to do! I’m not letting him go until I know it’s safe.” 

“Okay, well that was a great start, he’ll totally trust us now,” you said sarcastically. “Let me talk to him.” You turned to the poor android. “I’m so sorry. This got off to a really, _really_ bad start. Can you promise you won’t hurt us? We won’t hurt you. We’re not here to arrest you or harm you, I promise. What my friend did was in self defense.”

The android nodded sheepishly. “Self defence. Ralph knows a lot about that. Has to defend himself a lot.”

“So your name is Ralph?” 

He nodded. “Please let Ralph go.” 

You nodded at Andy. He released his grip and Ralph stumbled into a rickety chair. He was severely damaged, not just on his face, but his body too. His hands were missing skin, and you could see cuts on his stomach through his torn clothes. He wore his old uniform still. Around his shoulders he wore an improvised scarf made from a tarp. You wondered why, if it wasn’t for warmth. Was it for protection? To cover more damage? You motioned Andy to move back. Ralph was still extremely stressed. You held your open hands out before you and approached him slowly. He twitched a little. You knelt down in front of him. “Hey Ralph. Can we talk?”

“Just talk?” 

You nodded. “Just talk.” 

“Okay. Alright.”

“Ralph, I was sent here to help. I have a safe place I can take you, where they can take care of your injuries and you can have the company of other androids.” 

He shook his head and screwed his eyes shut. “Ralph can’t go! It’s dangerous outside!” 

“I promise I’ll keep you safe. Nothing will happen to you. Please, you’re really hurt.” 

“Ralph is damaged, yes. By humans! They may hurt him again!”

“Not me. I won’t hurt you. Please trust me.”

Ralph twitched again. “... okay. Okay. Trust you. Just for now. Not him though!” He gestured to Andy. “He was going to hurt Ralph.” 

“Okay, you’ll just be with me.” You turned to Andy. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.” 

He nodded understandingly. “Do what you gotta.”

“Ralph doesn’t wanna go to a facility! No, no please don’t send him.” 

“No! No, we won’t. I’m taking you to a friend. An android friend. Is that okay?” You asked. 

Ralph looked confused. “An android friend? Humans don’t have android friends.”

“Well, I do.”

He nodded apprehensively. You showed him to your car and drove him to Connor’s place. 

* * *

Connor came to the door, looking slightly surprised at your sudden appearance. 

“I’m so sorry for the short notice Connor. There was no way he was just going to come home with me, or anywhere, really. He doesn’t trust humans.” 

Connor took one look at Ralph and gasped softly. “You … I know you.” 

“Ralph doesn’t remember you.” 

You looked from Ralph to Connor, bemused. “How do you know him?”

Connor looked relieved. “Long story. And not one I’m too proud of. I’ll tell you later. Right now I need to get some spare parts. There’s some cleaning stuff in my bathroom you can use.” 

“Alright Ralph, do you trust me? Look, neither of us have hurt you. We both want to help.”

Ralph fidgeted a bit before nodding, not meeting your eyes. You led him to the bathroom and sat him down on the edge of the tub. On the shelf were a few cleaning things. A neat pile of clean washcloths next to … of course. There was no body wash and shampoo like you were used to. In their place was cleaning wipes, a basic bar soap, small brushes that looked like they were for cleaning a computer keyboard, some rubbing alcohol and an air duster. You chuckled. It would be perfect for getting Ralph cleaned up. 

“Hey Ralph, can you sit still while I clean your face?”

Ralph nodded again, still silent. You grabbed a cleaning wipe and moved closer to him slowly, cautiously. He recoiled at first, but then relaxed. Eventually, you were able to touch his face. It was covered in dust and dirt. You began to clean it gently. You wondered how long he’d been living in that house, and what he’d been through. Would he ever be able to live a normal life? What if his software had been unstable for so long that it was unfixable? You were no psychologist, and no AI expert, but you took a guess that the reason for him referring to himself in the third person was to separate himself from the trauma he’d experienced. You felt terrible for him. 

You finished cleaning the undamaged half of his face, and leaned back to inspect your handiwork. “There, that’s better.” You smiled. “Now, about that gash.” 

“P-please be careful.” Ralph stammered. 

“If you want me to stop, just say the word.” You replied. You leaned in again slowly with a soft-bristled brush and began to dislodge some of the dirt that had gotten stuck in his facial mechanics. “I hope Connor can find you a new eye.” You said as you cleaned him. “Can you see out of that one at all?”

“Ralph can still see. Yes. Just doesn’t look like a human eye.”

“Alright. Well that’s something.” You went over the cleaned areas with a cloth. His face looked much better now. The gash still overpowered the left side of it but it was clean at least. There was still the rest of his body, though. His clothes were torn and dirty and you could see damage underneath them. You stood up. “I’m going to check if Connor’s come back with parts and clothes.” You said. “Are you alright to clean yourself and change out of those clothes?”

Ralph nodded. Cautiously you began to close the door. “Okay, I’ll be back really soon.” 

Connor was sitting waiting for you at the kitchen table. 

“Place looks fantastic.” You said. “I never took you for a decorator Connor.”

“I got help with the decor. If I didn’t have Hank’s help the place would have been full of grey furniture.”

You laughed. 

“How’s Ralph?” Connor asked. 

“I cleaned up his face and left him to clean the rest of himself and get changed.”

Connor frowned. “He’s a WR600. Need I say more? I’m fairly sure they used to just hose the poor androids down. Are you sure he knows how to clean himself?” 

“Oops. I guess we’ll find out.” You shrugged. You had a hard time forgetting that androids were still inherently different to humans, no matter how self aware they were. Though free and capable of conscious thought, each different model still had its own core programming that, most of the time, still remained a part of their personality unless they made a conscious choice to change it. Most didn’t - they still found pleasure in the things they’d been programmed to do, even more so now because they did them out of their own volition, without following orders. You wondered if Ralph might feel more comfortable if you provided him with some houseplants. 

“I hope the clothes fit.” Connor said. “They’re mine, but he can keep them. I’m four inches taller than the maintenance line models, but they should be fine.”

You picked up the pile and brought it back to the bathroom. You knocked. “You alright in there Ralph?”

After some scuffling, you heard him reply. “Ralph is fine. Clothes please.” 

You opened the door just a crack and handed the clothes in. He snatched them from you. You went back to the kitchen and waited quietly with Connor. Eventually Ralph emerged, approaching the table slowly. You beckoned for him to sit down. “Hey, it’s alright. I think we have a lot to talk about.”

Connor leaned in to you. “I don’t think he’s aware of the revolution at all.”

You nodded. Ralph sat down gingerly. You laid your hands out on the table to show him you weren’t going to do anything unexpected. “Hey Ralph, how long did you live in that old house?”

Ralph just shrugged. 

“Did you hear anything about the liberation?” you asked. 

“Liberation …”

“Androids. You’re free now. No more slavery. You can get paid jobs, own property. You have all the same rights as a human.”

Ralph’s eyes widened. “That’s a lie. It’s not true! Where is RA9? If it was true, I would know, he would have told me, somehow!”

You grabbed your phone and looked up all the footage you could find. Connor beat you to it, though, reaching out his hand. “Here, look.”

Ralph placed a shaking hand on Connor’s arm. You watched as Connor shared his memories of Markus’ protests, of all the progress that had been made in the year since. Ralph opened his eyes after a minute or two, his face calm except for the twitch in his cheek that never seemed to cease. 

“It’s all true.” He turned to you, and then back to Connor. “You, the news said you helped. You’re helping.”

You nodded. “I want to help you get back on your feet. You can live like a human.”

“Like a human?” Ralph exclaimed. “Like … with a house? With a family? And … and cooking? And a garden? Ralph always wanted a vegetable garden.”

You smiled. You were pleased that his guard had fallen a little, and his enthusiasm was endearing. Connor grinned at him too, then looked at you, a little unsure. He was right to be - Ralph had quite a way to go, you both silently agreed. But there was hope. 

“Yes, you can have all that. It might take a little while, you have a lot to learn, Ralph.” Connor said. 

“Ralph knows all about it already! Ralph used to see humans, listen to them, all the time, when he was working. Before … before. Ralph got told off a lot for it, for not doing his job. But he wanted to know.”

“Hey, it took _me_ a long time to really learn how it all works. And I have an in-depth human psychology program. I was a prototype built to work in all kinds of difficult human situations. And I still get it wrong a lot.” He flashed you a knowing look. 

“Christ, you two!” you lamented with a sympathetic smile. “It’s not an android thing. I’m human and _I_ get it wrong. Probably more than you Connor. I still don’t even know how stocks work, or taxes, or … like, there’s so much I’m clueless about.” 

Connor laughed. “See? We’re all clueless in this life, in some way.” He turned to you. “Don’t worry, we’ll teach you everything we can. Maybe not about the stock market, but …”

“Ralph wants to cook for you.”

You giggled. It was sweet. You knew he wouldn’t be able to eat anything himself, but he seemed so keen. “Okay, I’ll teach you how to make something. Maybe that’s a good start. I’ll take you to mine, I’ve got a nice big kitchen and a spare room.”

Connor gave you a pointed look. “Are you sure? I can handle things from here. We have the halfway houses still. He might like the company of other androids.” You could tell he was concerned. You hadn’t forgotten that Ralph was unstable, but there was something about him that just made you want to give all your care to him. You knew he wouldn’t get the same kind of attention in a halfway house.

“No! Ralph wants to go with her,” he protested. “She’s nice to Ralph.”

Connor shrugged. “Okay. Any issues though, and I’m always on call, alright?”

You nodded in understanding. “Oh, what about those parts?”

Connor picked the box up from beside his chair. “They’re here. Maybe I should do this before you leave, actually. I have a repair program.”

Ralph looked apprehensive. “Parts?”

Connor nodded. “You’re damaged, you need fixing. Look at your hands, Ralph.”

Ralph obeyed, peering down at his outstretched palms. “But … they’re Ralph’s hands,” he murmured. “They’re Ralph’s hands!” His tone was more frantic now. 

“They’re damaged, they could malfunction.” Connor pressed. 

“No! They’re fine! Ralph feels fine!”

It was true, you noticed - his LED had been blue for the first time when he’d been sitting, talking, at the table with you. Now it was yellow again, and looked dangerously close to the red threshold. “It’s fine, it’s fine, don’t worry about it now,” you said. “Let’s take things one step at a time, yeah?”

Connor sighed. He got up and gave you the box. “If anything changes, here. Give me a call when he’s ready and we can run through it. I hate to see him so damaged.” He finished speaking under his breath, so only you could hear. 

You nodded, speaking equally as quietly. “I know. It hurts my heart. But he needs time. I just _wish_ we had Lucy. If anyone could help, it would be her.”

Connor smiled wistfully. “I wish I’d known her better. We’re looking for another KL900, but they’re a rare kind.”

“I know. And they won’t be the same as her, will they.”

Connor shook his head. You looked over at Ralph. He was standing, hands clasped, bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet. You beckoned for him to follow you. “Come on, let’s go home and get you settled in.”

All of a sudden a boyish grin lit up his face. He followed you eagerly to the car. You opened the door for him and he climbed into the passenger seat. You got in the other side, and set the car to drive home. You messaged Andy and your manager to let them know you’d be at home the rest of the day to help Ralph acclimatize. 

You parked your car and beckoned for Ralph to get out. He followed you to the elevator. You were on the ground floor, and lucky enough to have a courtyard apartment. You let him inside, and immediately he ran to the back door, where he peered out at the small lawn and the vines creeping up the back wall. You grinned. “I thought you’d like that.”

He turned back to you. “Can Ralph go outside?”

“Sure, why not.” You went to the door and unlocked it. He opened it and immediately plunged onto the grass, rolling onto his back to stare at the clear blue sky. You couldn’t help but feel his excitement, it was contagious. You sat down next to him. “It’s a nice change from being cooped up in that old house, huh?”

He nodded. 

“Will you be alright here for a bit? I’m going to get your room ready.”

“Ralph is gonna just lay here and look at the sun. Maybe pick some flowers.”

“Okay, don’t pick all of them please!”

Ralph looked offended. “Ralph knows not to! It will kill the plant! The bees need them! They need the bees!”

You giggled. “Okay, alright. Sorry, I should know that you know.”

“Ralph has a library of over seventeen thousand native and introduced plant species! In his _head_!”

“Okay, that’s amazing. I will never doubt your plant care abilities again,” you smiled, and left him to take in the garden. You’d been meaning to add more plants and improve the landscaping, maybe that could be a first project for the two of you to work on together. He certainly seemed passionate about it. You went to the spare room. It was a while since anyone had stayed there, at least long term. Sometimes you had friends crash for the night after a drunken evening, deeming them too wasted to get home safely, but it was only for a night. You opened the wardrobe and pulled out everything you’d been storing in there. Old bedclothes, random towels and linen. It was all dusty. You coughed a bit. Was it worth keeping? Probably not. You took it down to the rubbish room. Then, you set to making up the bed with the linen you’d kept, and vacuuming the floor. You took some books from your bedroom and placed them on the shelf in the spare room - a wide variety, so Ralph could pick and choose to his taste. You put some clothes hangers in the now empty wardrobe. What else would he like, you wondered. You went to the living room and picked up the houseplant. It was heavy - a large ficus in a terracotta pot. He would love that, you thought. You placed it in the corner of the room next to the window. Then, you returned to the courtyard. 

Ralph was hanging over the wall, looking into the neighbor’s yard.

“Ralph! What’re you doing?” you called to him. 

He turned to you. “A little girl! She just wanted to say hi!”

Your heart skipped a beat. Wouldn’t she be scared of him? You rushed over. You knew the neighbors had kids, two of them, you should have thought of it before letting Ralph roam free outside. Jenna was who he was talking to - the oldest. She was about seven, and their other child was one or two, you didn’t see them too much. When you looked over the wall, she was perfectly calm. “Hey!” she called your name gleefully. “You have a new friend!”

You grinned. “Yeah, this is Ralph. He didn’t scare you did he? Sometimes he can be a bit surprising.”

“Ralph already introduced himself!” Ralph grinned at you.

Jenna giggled. “I like how he talks! And he thinks lizards are cool.”

“She’s not scared of me.” Ralph exclaimed, confounded. You froze. That was the first time you’d ever heard him say ‘ _me’_. Jenna hadn’t noticed. You let it go for now, but in your mind you counted it as a small but significant step forward. 

You leaned over to Jenna. “Of course! You’re right, he’s not scary at all.”

“He looks cool, like a video game character or something,” Jenna said. “He could be like, a ninja!”

You chuckled at the absurdity of it.

“Ralph doesn’t think that job’d suit him. What about a chef? We can eat together, Ralph will cook! Do you have parents?”

Jenna fidgeted. “Yeah … um, I’d have to ask them. They don’t like it when I talk to people I don’t know.”

You had a feeling what their answer would be. You didn’t know them very well, but they would be right to be a little wary of Ralph, like you had been before you saw that he had a kind heart. “Hey, maybe soon,” you said. “Ralph just arrived, he needs to get settled in, but I’m sure he’d love to hang out with you some more in the next few days!”

Ralph stepped away from the wall and tugged at your arm. You looked around at him. He seemed to want to go inside, all of a sudden. You nodded at him. 

“See you round Jenna! I’m glad you like Ralph,” you said, and waved at her. 

She waved back. “See ya! Bye Ralph, it was nice to meet you!”

Ralph smiled back at her, before turning away again. You followed him inside and shut the door. “Hey, what is it?”

“Ralph likes it here. He loves it here. He likes Jenna. He likes you. But he has some bad things about him. He’s scared they’re never gonna leave him alone. Sometimes he gets angry. He doesn’t wanna hurt you.”

“You won’t Ralph! I don’t think you’ll have anything to get angry about here.”

“Sometimes he just _does_!”

“Hey, sit down, it’s alright.”

He took a seat on the couch. 

“Can you tell when you’re gonna get mad?”

He nodded. “Most of the time … static, sparks, malfunctioning, programs get jumbled in Ralph’s head. Error codes. Errors everywhere. Red.”

You nodded. Maybe Connor had been right to be worried about you bringing him home. Maybe he wasn’t so safe after all. “We’ll work through it. Connor’s working on finding an android who’s built to help you. They’ll be able to help a lot more than I can.”

“But you … you’re helping already.”

You fidgeted. “Okay, well … that’s great to know. But I'm no therapist. Hey.” You stood up. “You wanted to cook something. It’s almost dinner time. Want to help me?”

He nodded eagerly. You went to the kitchen and scrolled through some recipes on your tablet. 

“Any preferences?” you said without thinking. “Oh,” you faltered. “Well I mean, I know you don’t eat but … you know.”

Ralph shrugged. “Humans eat … leaves, and burned meat. So …”

“Oh my god, Connor was totally right.” you grinned with bemusement. Ralph really had no idea. “Ralph, you aren't wrong, but there’s more to it than that.”

He looked at you quizzically. “Like what?”

“Come look at these recipes. Actually, can you sync them?”

“Maybe. Ralph will try.”

A sync request popped up on the screen, and you accepted it. Ralph’s eyes closed and his LED flickered. A moment later he opened them again. “Oh,” he said. 

You tried not to laugh. He looked so taken aback. 

“Well, Ralph was … kind of right. Humans eat roots too!”

You couldn’t hold it back anymore. You let out a giggle. “Yes, that too. But uh … only certain kinds of leaves, and roots and meat. And we cook it in a certain way. Just have a scan through all of that, and you’ll see what I mean for real when we start cooking. And I actually … uh, I prefer to not have burned meat in my meals. Well, not all the time anyway.”

“Just plants? Hm.” Ralph shut his eyes again. “Okay, he likes the sound of the pumpkin ravioli. Sage, walnuts … don’t know what Ravioli is. Is it meat? And butter, that’s milk.”

“Nope, Ravioli is pasta - it’s made of wheat. And yes, butter is … _kind_ of milk.”

He bounced up and down gleefully. “Okay! Okay, let’s do it!”

He proved to be a talented helper with the cooking, much more than you’d expected. He had deft hands, and you couldn’t help but watch, transfixed, as he chopped up pumpkin and garlic into perfectly even slices. He was a machine, after all, but it still fascinated you. You were even more blown away when he started taking measurements without using any utensils - he took a spoonful of butter and tipped it in the pan. 

“You didn’t measure it, is that a tablespoon?”

He nodded. 

“How the hell do you know?”

He looked at you like it was common knowledge. “Ralph used to do it all the time. One cup of soil, a tablespoon of water for the tiny seedlings. All kinds of measurements. Slows Ralph down to use little spoons. He doesn’t need to, he can tell with his eyes.”

“... Sure.”

It felt strange eating on your own. You didn’t feel comfortable sitting down, so you leaned against the counter. Ralph sat down. He gestured to your seat. “Sit!”

“I don’t know it feels weird, when you’re not eating.”

He looked agitated, LED flickering from blue to yellow. “Please!”

You sighed. “Okay. For you I will. But I’m not gonna let you just sit there doing nothing.” You grabbed a pack of cards from the bookshelf and laid them out on the table. “What’s a good game for two people ... “ you wondered aloud. “Gin Rummy. God, I haven’t played that since I was a kid. Actually, how about … sixty-six? Know how to play?” It was a little more complex, but you had a feeling he’d still ace it. At least it would _feel_ like a challenge to you.

Ralph shook his head. 

“Here.” you searched up the rules and gave him your phone. He scrolled through them at lightning speed. 

“Okay, Ralph knows how to play.”

“I know you’re gonna beat me,” you grinned. “But try to go easy.”

You were wrong about him winning. He found it as difficult as you. As adept as he seemed to be at processing information and taking perfect measurements, his probability skills were not much better than yours. He let out a mirthful laugh when he finally scored a point, even though you already had five, and were looking likely to get a sixth on the next round. You won the first game, but Ralph was a good sport about it. 

“You sure you didn’t _let_ me win?” you asked disbelievingly. 

He nodded. “Ralph needs some practice. Again?”

You laughed. “Sure.”

You whiled the night away with another two rounds, and then he helped you wash up, despite your insistence that he didn’t need to. He seemed to genuinely want to - in fact, anything that fitted with his idea of what humans did in domestic life, he was fascinated by, wanted to mimic. It was hard to believe he’d come from such a broken place. 

You were wiped out. It had been an exhausting day, emotionally, even if it had ended well. You turned to Ralph. “I need to turn in.”

He frowned at you in confusion. 

“Like, I need to go to sleep.”

“Oh! Ralph is ready to sleep too. Well, standby anyway. He knows it’s not sleep, but he likes to pretend it is.”

“Do you dream, Ralph?”

He shivered. “Sometimes, bad dreams.”

Without thinking, you reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay. Ralph doesn’t think he’ll dream tonight. Just peaceful blackness.”

“Uh … alright. I guess that’s a good thing. Let me show you your room. I tried to make it nice, but you can add to it if you want. It’s your home, for as long as you need it to be.” You led him down the hall. 

His eyes lit up when he saw the plant in the corner. “This is so cozy! You did this just for Ralph?”

You nodded. “There’s books on the shelf there. Paper ones, sorry, they’re old. And I set up the wardrobe for you too. Tomorrow let’s get you some more clothes, yeah? If you’re ready.”

He sat on the bed briefly, as if testing it, and then got up again, and walked towards you. He stood in front of you for a moment, eyes looking over your face like he was searching for something to say. Finally, he spoke. “Thanks.”

You smiled, and backed away just a tiny bit. Personal space was still an alien concept to him. Sometimes you were fine with it, other times, not so much. This was one of those times. “You’re welcome,” you murmured. “Hey, I’m so tired. But I’ll see you in the morning. And if you need anything, come knock on my door, okay?”

“It’s okay, Ralph won’t bother you. All these books to get through …”

You giggled. “Okay, well I don’t know how long you need to spend on standby to recharge but don’t stay up _all_ night.”

He shook his head. “Ralph won't. Good night.”

“Night, Ralph.”

* * *

It took you a moment to remember he was there the next morning. You’d forgotten until you emerged into the living room and saw him sitting in the grass outside again. While the kettle was boiling, you called Andy. “You reckon it would count as part of my role to uh … buy Ralph some new clothes?”

“I thought you’d passed him on to Connor? Or one of the other guys! Is he at your house? Jesus.”

“I know, I know. I just … I don’t know. I took pity on him.”

“I wouldn’t risk it. You’re just the picker-upper, it’s not really in your job description to actually care for them. That’s volunteer work, that is.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing.”

“No! I just … you see something in that guy, don’t you. He’s so messed up, you couldn’t help wanting to fix him.”

“Fine. You’re not wrong.”

He laughed. 

“I’m gonna take the morning off. I’ll be there after lunch.”

“Okay. Good luck.” Andy hung up. The two of you frequently bantered like this. He could sound gruff sometimes, but he had a big heart. You hoped you could turn him round on Ralph, get him to see that he was capable of recovery. You made some coffee and joined Ralph outside in the sun. 

He smiled at you when you came out. You sat down. “How did you sleep? Any dreams?”

“Nope!” he grinned. 

“I wanted to get you some more clothes today, it’s up to you if you want to come or not.”

“Ralph wants to come!”

“There are gonna be a lot of humans. Lots of noise, lots going on. Are you sure you’re ready?”

He nodded. 

“Just say the word if you feel uncomfortable and we’ll head straight back here.”

* * *

He handled the trip surprisingly well. He seemed excited trying everything on, happy to be doing something he felt was very human. You wondered how Ralph could hold those two conflicting ideas in his mind - being apprehensive of humans, but wanting to be like them at the same time. 

You had to admit, he looked nice in civilian clothes. He was svelte, and had a handsome face despite the scarring. You’d expected to get odd stares from people, but no one noticed you too much. You supposed lots of androids still had irreparable scars from fighting in the revolution, that maybe it wasn’t too uncommon a sight. You wondered how long it would be until he was ready to replace his hands. Maybe never. They seemed to be a part of his identity, he was attached to them, no matter how harsh their history. 

You dropped him back home again and went to work. You worried a little that he might trash your kitchen while you were out, or something, but you’d cross that bridge when you came to it. Connor called mid-afternoon to check in. He seemed surprised at how well Ralph was doing. You told him about Ralph’s change in speech - when he’d said _I_ instead of his own name. 

“Maybe it won’t be such a long process after all. Do you know what triggered it?” he asked. 

“He was talking to my neighbors’ kid. She seemed to just accept him for who he was, she wasn’t freaked out or anything. I thought his scar might scare her but she was fine. He was really happy about it.”

“His damage runs deeper than the scars.”

“I know. Trust me, I know. I’m not equipped to like … _cure_ him, or anything. But at least I can give him a safe space,” you replied. “He did mention something about that last night. The trauma. Said he has uh ... anger issues.”

“That’s about right. If he tries _anything,_ call me straight away.”

“Don’t worry, I will. So far so good.”

* * *

You cooked dinner again with him that night. And the next night, and the next … you could hardly even imagine coming home to an empty flat anymore. It seemed wrong to not have Ralph there, always happy to see you, always wanting to chat. He talked endlessly about the books you gave him (he’d finished all of them), and your garden. Over the next couple of weeks, you took him out to buy new plants for it. He was happy to plant them and maintain them for you, it seemed to bring him more joy than anything else. Occasionally he chatted to Jenna in the yard. She was interested in everything he knew about ecology, bugs, bees, birds. He was happy to oblige her. She listened intently as he spoke at a breakneck speed. At first her parents had been hesitant, and you promised that you’d keep an eye on Ralph whenever he was out, but eventually they relaxed. He might have had his odd tics that seemed vaguely threatening to a stranger, but when he was around Jenna they seemed to disappear. You noticed it when he was talking to you sometimes, too. His speech slowed down, his nerves fell away. 

For the time being, everything seemed fine. Ralph hadn’t referred to himself in first person again, but he seemed calm. You were lucky to live in a safe area of the city, because it meant your neighborhood was fairly quiet. You hardly heard any commotion in the street, until one night. Ralph heard it before you did - drunk yelling, screaming, cruel laughs. It sounded like a group of college kids staggering home on a night out. You weren’t bothered, but it set Ralph on edge. He sat up bolt straight from his hunched position on the couch, LED flashing red, breath quickening. You tensed up, ready to react to whatever he was going to do. Then came sirens. He yelled and covered his ears. You rushed to him and knelt in front of him. “Ralph! Ralph, what can I do?”

He shook his head frantically. “Nothing! Nothing, nothing, nothing! Nothing at all!” he choked. 

You took his hands firmly. “Come on. Come with me.” He got up and followed you to his room. You shut the door tightly and shoved a pillow against the gap, muffling the sound from outside as much as possible. He sat down on the bed, panting. You had never seen an android do anything like this, it was like a panic attack in a human. You tried to do what you thought would help in the same situation with a person. “Okay, it’s alright. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.”

Ralph wouldn’t stop panting. “No, no, core overheating, need to cool down. Let Ralph cool down.”

You held your hands up. “Okay! Okay, alright. I’m sorry.”

Sweat beaded on his forehead. When you could be sure the noise was gone, you opened the window and let the cool breeze blow in. After a few minutes, Ralph’s breathing let up, and his shoulders relaxed. His LED turned from red to yellow. Before you could react he gripped your forearms firmly and pulled you close to him. His eyes still looked wild and panicked. 

“Please hold Ralph.”

“Okay, but you have to let go of my arms.”

His eyes darted between yours for a moment before relaxing his grip. You sat up on the bed next to him and put your arms around him. He wrapped his own around you and held you tightly, head pressed to your shoulder. 

“I-I’m sorry, just … bad sounds. It all came back, I was so scared. So scared.” 

There it was again. Just when you least expected it. You hugged him tighter. “It’s alright Ralph. It’s gonna be fine. I’m here, you’re safe, the house is locked, no one can hurt you.”

“No one’s gonna hurt me in here.”

“No one’s gonna hurt you in here,” you repeated back to him. 

You sat there for what felt like hours. Ralph wouldn’t let go of you. You didn’t want him to, not until you were sure he was alright. Finally, he loosened his grip and pulled away, looking you dead in the eyes. Usually when he made eye contact with you, his eyes would dart around your face, but not this time. He looked you steadily in the eye. He said nothing. 

“Are you alright now?”

“I … Ralph thinks so.”

You tutted and squeezed his shoulder. “Okay. I’m so sorry that happened.”

“Not your fault,” he replied, eyes lowered. “It’s late. You should sleep.”

“Not if you need me.”

“Ralph is fine. Ralph is okay now. He promises.”

You nodded. You weren’t entirely sure he was telling the truth, but you let it be. You backed out of the room. “If you need me, I’m right next door. Please don’t feel like you’re imposing on me, ever, okay?”

He nodded, sitting coyly on the bed, hands clasped on his knees, which were together. He didn’t usually sit so neatly, and it made you a little uncomfortable. You closed the door slowly and made your way to your own room. 

You were just about to get into bed when you heard the door creak open. You jumped, startled. Of course, it was Ralph. 

“Hey, what’s up? Are you alright, did you need anything?”

“C-can Ralph sleep next to you tonight?”

You weren’t used to someone asking so openly. You reminded yourself he just didn’t know the connotations of it. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea, Ralph.” 

He looked hurt, and you immediately regretted denying him. 

“It makes him feel safe …”

The poor android just needed comfort. Still, you worried he’d taken too much of a shine to you - you were the first to show him care and attention. You worried about how hard it would be for him to separate from you and start living independently … or whether he’d _ever_ be able to, after what you’d just seen. But he _had_ just referred to himself as ‘I’ again. Maybe care and affection was what he needed to start putting the fragments of himself back together. You nodded. “Okay, you can sleep next to me. Come on, I was about to get into bed.” 

Ralph gasped happily. You had an uneasy feeling. You slipped under the covers. Usually you would take your shorts off and sleep in just underwear and a t-shirt, but there was no way you were doing that tonight. You didn’t want to give him the slightest inkling of any wrong ideas about it. It was purely platonic. 

He jumped under the covers next to you, hair getting messed by the pillow. He reached out a hand and took yours. It felt smooth, not human. 

“Please hold me,” he murmured, guiding your hand around his side. If you’d heard right, he’d used first person pronouns again. You smiled. If it helped him keep doing that, then you would do anything for him. You pulled him close, and he curled up, closing his eyes. You closed yours, and found it much easier than you’d expected to drift off to sleep. 

* * *

You awoke to find you’d changed position in the night. Ralph was behind you now, spooning against your back. Still groggy and half asleep yourself, you felt him move. So, he wasn’t on standby. How long had he been awake? A languid hand reached around to your face and stroked your hair. It felt nice, you thought dazedly, in your semi-slumber. You leaned into it, and its intensity increased, palm cupping the side of your face. Then, you were jerked fully awake by a lustful moan from behind you. A cold sweat came over you as you came out of your sleepy reverie and realized what was happening. “Ralph.”

His body was flush against yours, and you could feel his hips against your backside, something hard pushing through his trousers. And … was his fly undone? All it would take was a gentle pull to reveal what was under there. You hadn’t expected that the WR600s were …. well, really, the thought hadn’t crossed your mind at all. You were frozen. You didn’t know whether to jump up and run out of the room, or to try and take things slowly so as to not alarm him, to gently inform him that it was inappropriate. 

“Ralph feels so _good_ when he’s close to you …” he murmured. 

The wrong kind of good, you thought. “Ralph, we can’t do this. This is really inappropriate, it’s bad.”

“But Ralph likes you so much. You care about him … we’ve got to know each other so well ...” 

You should have gotten out of bed. He leaned in closer, nuzzling your neck. And it _did_ feel good. His soft hair against your skin, the faint rough feeling of the damage to his face as he pushed it into the crook of your neck. Your body reacted before your mind could stop you, and Ralph ould obviously tell. You gasped sharply as he reached his other hand around your hips and pulled your shorts down firmly. At this point you were too weak with desire to fight him. You knew you could have yelled at him to stop but … your breath caught as you felt him against you. Bottom half naked as yours, length stroking at your entrance. 

“If it’s bad, why does it feel so … good? Isn’t this what humans do when they like each other a lot?” he lamented, his breath in your ear. There was nothing you could do to pretend you weren’t aroused. It was clear from how your body was choosing to react to him - you could have taken him inside you right at that moment. You let out a soft moan as he bucked his hips again, feeling the tip of him slide between your thighs and push up against your clit. He let out a moan. “If it’s bad, why do _you_ feel like that? You like Ralph, you like him the same way.” he said, reaching a hand down to touch you, and feeling that you were soaked. 

All you could do was respond with a hiss as you drew breath through your gritted teeth. 

“Ralph needs- R … _I_ … need you,” he groaned. 

You reached an arm round and pulled him closer, twisting round to see him behind you, brows knitted together in a combination of confusion, longing, arousal. He pressed his forehead against yours. You were drawn to his lips like a magnet. Faces close, noses touching, he craned his neck to you, panting, lips so close to yours you could feel the warmth of them. You tilted your head and let his nose slide past yours to rest against your cheek, and his mouth fell against your own, opening into a passionate kiss. You could feel the scar on his lip, it was the only thing that didn’t feel human, with a metallic taste you tried to avoid as you moved your tongue. It wasn’t easy though, Ralph kissed back messily, fervently. At one point your lips even touched the gash on his cheek by accident, and he let out a whimper, but not one of pain or discomfort. 

He was still between your legs, moving against you teasingly. His breathing quickened until he could hardly kiss you anymore, and it was too much for him. He grabbed your hips and pulled you back towards him, and then gripped your thigh with one arm, wrapping the other around your torso, hand on your chest. His whole body was pressed against your back, warm, strong. You raised your hips to grant him entrance, and he pushed into you. You gasped loudly as he passed your threshold, drawing out a gasp of pleasure as you felt him move inside you. He gripped you tightly, like you would disappear if he loosened his hold even slightly. 

It felt so different, in a good way. You weren’t sure whether it was because it has been so long, or whether it was because Ralph was an android, or whether it was because of the wrongness of it all - his unpredictability, the suddenness, his … _uniqueness_ , that was one way to put it. All your senses were heightened. Everything felt more intimate. You were hyper-aware of every brush of his skin against yours, every soft breath in your ear, every tiny movement. His eyelashes danced across the skin of your cheek as he leaned around you to plant kisses all over your cheek and jaw. You reached around and grasped at his hair, trying to pull him closer. 

You couldn’t hold back anymore. You turned over and pulled him on top of you. He pulled his shirt off in one swift movement, and then removed yours, before collapsing clumsily back on top of you. You ran your hands up his back, feeling him moving against you, and wrapped your legs around him, thighs parted to fit his hips. He pushed into you again, deeper now that you were facing him. You moaned into his mouth as he leaned down to kiss you, a mess of tongue and teeth, skin and scars. 

Without warning, he reached around to the back of your head and grabbed your hair, pulling you close to him, brow furrowed, teeth gritted together. He was already buried in you but he pressed himself onto you like he was trying to get even deeper. You tensed around him. He cried out, both ecstasy and surprise in his voice, and you felt yourself reaching your peak as well. You breathed his name, voice cracking with exhaustion and pleasure. His damaged fingers dug into your thigh as he thrust into so hard the bed frame hit the wall with a metallic bang. You arched your back as he did the same again. And once more. You couldn’t go any longer. Your whole body went weak. His head fell, forehead resting against yours, panting feverishly. You held him, stroked his hair, kissed him softly. 

“… Ralph thinks humans have got something right,” he breathed. 

You laughed softly through your own fevered breaths. “I’m sorry I said it was bad. It wasn’t. It wasn’t at all.”

“I ... Ralph really likes you. A lot. So much. We could do that all the time.”

You stroked his damaged cheek, trying to think of how, and when, you’d eventually have to break it to Andy, Connor, your friends. You had hope that it could work, in its own odd way. You sighed happily. “Yeah, we definitely could.”


End file.
